An orphan's go
by the.stories.live.on
Summary: Hikaru, an orphan, picks up a goban discarded by an antique shop and meets Sai, the spirit of an ancient go master. Sai teaches Hikaru go, til they meet Toya Akira, who is determined to drag Hikaru into the world of go.
1. Fuji no what?

Disclaimer: anyone who thinks Hikaru no Go belongs to me should have their head checked. The authors were merely gracious enough to allow me to have a romp in their delightful world.

Can't guarantee time between chapters, but hey. That's life.

Hikaru didn't exactly know what it was. All he knew was that it looked expensive, and he might be able to get some good money if he managed to sell it. He had found other things in this alleyway that the antique shop had thrown away that he had managed to sell for a good price, so why not this time? It looked like a game board of sorts, with grooves all over the top. He squatted down next to it to take a closer look, and saw something like blood stains on the board. _Well,_ he thought, _I guess that's why they threw it out. But if I can get the stain off, it might be worth something. _He began to rub at the stain with his sleeve.

"Why won't this stupid stain come off?" he said aloud in frustration, to no one in particular.

'_You can see the stains?'_

Hikaru whirled around, searching for the source of the voice.

"Who's there?"

_'You can hear my voice?' _

"Whoever that is, stop hiding and get out here!" The goban began to glow, drawing Hikaru's eyes to it in time to see a person in white robes rise from the board.

_'Thank kami. I can at last return to the living world!'_

Hikaru scrambled away from the glowing board and hit his head against the wall of the building, hard. The blow, combined with the growing pressure of a foreign presence in his mind made him lose consciousness.

When Hikaru came to, he was immediately aware of a few things. For one thing his head really hurt, and for another, there was something flitting back and forth in front of him.

'_Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.'_ Hikaru cracked his eyes open to find himself face to face with the ghost that had come out of the board.

'_Are you all right?'_

"Aaaah!" Hikaru yelled and jerked backwards, hitting his head again. "Ittai!" he said clutching his head.

'_I'm so sorry,' _the ghost said frantically.

"Who are you?" Hikaru asked, and groaned as the pain hit his head again

'_Me? I'm Fujiwara no Sai.'_

"Fuji no what?"

'_Fujiwara no Sai,'_ the ghost said patiently.

"Weird name," the boy said. "And why are you dressed like that?" The ghost looked down at his elaborate outfit in consternation.

'_Is it really that strange?'_

"Heck yes it is! We're in the 21st century now. You're like, 1000 years out of date."

'_This was the height of fashion in the Heian Period.'_

"You lived in the Heian Period?" The ghost nodded his head.

"So you lived a really long time ago."

'_Yes.'_

"Then why are you here? And why did you come out of that board?"

'_Well,'_ the ghost began.

"Wait, wait, wait," Hikaru said, waving his hand in front of him. "You should just start from the beginning. I'll just get confused otherwise."

'_All right.'_ And the ghost began his tale.

'_I was a go instructor in the Heian court,'_

"Wait," Hikaru interrupted. "What's go?" The ghost looked horrified.

'_You don't know what go is?'_

Hikaru shook his head.

'_It is the most wonderful game in the world. It is a game of intellect and strategy, and luch plays no part in it. It is entirely based on skill. Almost all the great leaders played go, and used it's strategies. It has been cultivated over thousands of years and,'_

Hikaru cut him off. "I get it, I get it. It's a geat game. Get on with the rest of your story." The ghost pouted, but eventually continued. He told a tale of treachery and tragedy. An opponent cheated in a crucial game, then accused Sai of his own dastardly deed. This resulted in Sai's ruin, and unable to live without playing his beloved go, he ended his life, drowning himself in the river.

"Wait," Hikaru said. "You killed yourself over a game?"

'_It is more than just a game. Go was my life, and I have dedicated my very existence to it. With it gone, I had nothing left to live for.'_

"I still don't get it," Hikaru muttered. "Is that the end of your story?" The ghost shook his head.

'_That is only the first part. The second half is happier than the first. Instead of moving on, I found myself bound to the go board, and stayed that way for hundreds of years.' _The ghost then told of another child who had seen Sai's tears on the board and heard his voice. The boy, Torajiro allowed Sai to play go through him, and eventually became known as Honinbo Shusaku, and the greatest player of his time. Unfortunately, Torajiro died an early death at the age of 34, leaving Sai trapped in the board.

"So that's this Torajiro guy's blood on the board?" Sai nodded. "But why are you still around?"

'_I have yet to achieve the Divine Move, the Hand of God, that which all true go players strive for.'_

"So you've stuck around for a thousand years to play go?" Hikaru asked incredulously. The ghost nodded his head again.

"How come I can see you? I don't know the first thing about go!"

Sai looked thoughtful. _'Why did you have Torajiro's board?'_

"This antique store was throwing it out, and I was looking for something to sell." Sai looked almost as horrified as he had when Hikaru had said he didn't know what go was. _'You're going to sell Torajiro's board?'_ and he burst into tears. Hikaru suddenly felt incredibly sick, and rushed to the garbage can down the alley to throw up. After he finished heaving, he turned to the ghost.

"What did you do to me?"

'_Nothing!'_ wailed the ghost. _'Torajiro was my dearest friend, and when I heard you were going to sell his goban, the one thing I have left of him, I was filled with sorrow.'_

"I'll give you sorrow! Do you know how hard it was to get that breakfast?" Sai looked at him in concern.

'_Don't your parents feed you?'_

"I don't have parents," Hikaru snapped, turning away from the ghost.

'_You mean, you're an orphan?'_

"Yeah. What's it to you?" Hikaru said grumpily. "I was going to sell that go-thingy for some cash," Sai began to sniff back another set of tears. "But I won't since it's so important to you," Hikaru finished with a sigh.

'_Oh thank you!'_ the ghost exclaimed, clinging to Hikaru's neck.

"You're probably the reason no one would buy it," Hikaru muttered. "You know, if I don't sell it, it's just gonna be sent to the dump."

'_Wah!'_ Sai cried and burst into tears again. _'You can't let that happen!' _Hikaru, who was doubled over, clutching his stomach, gasped out, "All right! I get it! I'll ask if I can take the board!"

'_Really?'_ the ghost said, looking at Hikaru with a pleading, puppy dog look.

"Yeah, yeah. As long as you don't kill me."

The bell tinkled as Hikaru entered the shop. "Excuse me, sir," Hikaru said timidly from the doorway. The man at the counter looked up to see a young boy, a rare sight in his dusty, quaint shop.

"How can I help you?"

Hikaru approached the counter, looking around the dusty store in something like awe. He finally reached the counter and said, "I saw you throw out a go board this morning."

"Ah," said the old man. "I've had that here for ages. It's a work of art, isn't it, my boy." Hikaru felt nodding would be the best response, and did so.

"It's strange, but no one seems to want to buy it. I finally gave up hope on selling it, and as I'm not a go player myself, I didn't know what else to do with it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, if you don't need it anymore, can I have it?"

The man looked at him strangely. "What would a lad like you do with a go board?"

"I don't want to sell it or anything," Hikaru said earnestly. "It's just that recently I've been interested in go, but I haven't had a board of my own to play on. I don't have any money to give you, but if you don't need it, I could give it a home where it would be well used and love." The man chuckled.

"You're a strange lad indeed." He fixed Hikaru with a piercing look. "You're the first to show a real interest in that board. I think it will be best off with you."

Hikaru grinned. "Thank you so much." And he dashed out the door.

"Strange lad," the man murmured. "Strange lad."

The goban was large and awkward, and Hikaru felt horribly conspicuous.

'_Hikaru,'_ Sai said. 'Were you serious when you told that man you were interested in go?'

"_As hard as it is to believe, yes. I mean, if you were willing to die for it, there's gotta be something more to it."_ Hikaru had figured out he could communicate with Sai without speaking aloud, which was very convenient. _"You're going to have to teach me, Sai."_

'_It would be my pleasure.'_

The continuation of this story is not dependent on reviews, but they are always nice. Enjoy!


	2. Here we Go!

It was somewhat harder for Sai to teach Hikaru than they had first anticipated. You could only go so far with just a board and no stones. Luckily for them and much to Sai's surprise, Hikaru was an extremely bright child, and had an incredible memory.

He picked up on the game so quickly it was almost frightening. They made do with bits of paper and rocks for go stones. Hikaru progressed at an alarming rate, and Sai was almost delirious with happiness. He had ignited a fire within the boy, and he could see that Hikaru had found a true reason to live. In between their games, Sai would tell Hikaru stories of the past. Most of them had to do with go, but there were many that were not. Sai's knowledge was extensive, and the manner in which he taught was engaging, so Hikaru learned a great deal. When Hikaru would lie down to go to sleep at night, the ghost would sit next to him and share his memories showing Hikaru images of his past, and Hikaru would end up dreaming about go as well. In return for Sai's teaching, Hikaru taught Sai about the modern world, and how things had changed over the years.

'_Look, Hikaru, look! There's a large metal bird in the sky!'_ the ghost exclaimed one day.

"_It's called an airplane, Sai,"_ Hikaru responded, but that wasn't enough for the ghost.

'_What is an airplane?'_

"_Well, I guess it is kind of like a metal bird, but it's huge, and it can hold passengers inside. People can use them to fly all sorts of places." _Hikaru said, finding it hard to explain it to the ghost.

'_People fly in those things? Isn't it dangerous?'_

"_I guess,"_ Hikaru said thoughtfully. _"But people have been working on them for years. By now, they're so well developed, they rarely crash."_

'_Oh,'_ Sai said. _'How does it work?'_

"_You know, I'm not really sure, but I know a place we can go to find out."_

And so Hikaru took Sai to the library. They went through the doors, and Sai fell in love with the place.

'_Hikaru!'_ he squealed. _'There are so many books!'_

"_I know. That's why it's called a library."_

'_Are they all about airplanes?'_ Sai wondered. Hikaru snorted quietly.

"_No, baka. You can find books about almost anything. Novels, history, airplanes, science."_

'_Really? Let's go read them!"_

"_Do you want to start with the airplanes, or would you rather head for the history section?"_

'_History, history,' _the ghost squealed, jumping up and down_. 'The airplanes can wait.'_

"_Right then,"_ Hikaru said. _"Off to the history section."_

They went to the library every day after that. They would take turns picking out books, and Sai would read over Hikaru's shoulder. Whenever Hikaru had trouble with the more difficult kanji, Sai would help, and Hikaru would explain modern concepts that cropped up in their reading. They read history books and biographies, old novels like _Tales of Genji_, and _Book of Five Rings_, and even some books on philosophy, though those were more to Sai's taste. Sai taught Hikaru to appreciate many more things than he had before. Life was about more than just surviving.

But every night they would play go. Sai enjoyed teaching Hikaru, and Hikaru enjoyed learning.

One day, Hikaru found a backpack and had a brilliant idea.

"_Sai, look what I found!"_ Hikaru held the bag up, a delighted smile on his face.

'_What is it?'_ Sai asked.

"_Just watch."_ And Hikaru set about his task. By the time he was finished, the bag was almost unrecognizable.

'_That's very impressive, Hikaru, but whatever is it for?'_

"_Look!" _Hikaru took Torajiro's goban and placed it in the bag_. "It's a perfect fit! Now I can take it with me wherever we go, and we won't have to worry about it every time we leave."_

Sai tried not to be selfish, and tried to curb his impatience to play someone besides Hikaru, but try as he might, he couldn't completely conceal it from his young friend. So Hikaru began to search for ways to play others, for he himself was eager to test himself against other opponents. It was this search that brought them to The Heart of Stone. Hikaru was slightly discouraged when he discovered you had to pay an entrance fee in order to play, but he and Sai devised a plan the hoped would get them in. Hikaru tidied up, and made himself as presentable as possible before they headed out. The entire way there, Sai reminded him to be polite and smile his best smile. Hikaru entered cautiously, but almost coughed at the smoke that immediately beset him. A bored looking, middle aged woman was leaning on the counter, but her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him enter.

"The children's rate is 500 yen."

"Oh," Hikaru said, smiling shyly. "I was wondering if I could do some odd jobs and chores in exchange for the entrance fee." He scratched the back of his head. "You see, I don't have the money to pay, but it just doesn't feel right to ask to get in free. So I figured if you needed a little extra help, maybe we could do an exchange."

"That sounds like a fine idea," a voice said from behind him. Hikaru turned to see a cheerful heavy-set man. "Honey, the kid's interested in go, and if he's willing to work for it, I say we give the boy a chance."

"Whatever," the woman said waving her hand dismissively. "What can you do?"

"Just show me how you want something done, and I'll do it," Hikaru said.

The owner's wife showed Hikaru how to wash the stones and do the other chores, and he went at them with vigor. The woman was surprised at the eagerness of this boy to do chores, but if he was willing to work, she wasn't going to complain. Sai was proud of his little friend, of how hard he worked, and how good he had gotten at go in such a short time.

When the rest of the customers heard about this strange boy, they had to see him for themselves. Once Hikaru had finished the first set of chores to the owner's satisfaction, they sat Hikaru down to play his first game in The Heart of Stone.

"So kid," one of the customers asked. "Do you even know how to play go?"

"Yup," Hikaru said confidently. They sat him down and began a game, but it soon screeched to a halt when they saw how Hikaru handled the stones.

"You're kidding! You can't play go! Look at the way you hold the stones!"

"Hey!" Hikaru yelled. "I do too know how to play go. It's just that this is the first time I've played with actual stones."

"You've never used stones before?" the man asked incredulously.

"Yeah, so? I can still crush you, old man." Gone was the polite boy who had worked so hard, and here was a firecracker just waiting to go off.

"You better be able to back up those words, boy."

Hikaru grinned. "Don't worry. I will." Despite his bold words, Hikaru was not at all confident he could deliver. _"Sai, I'm gonna make a fool of myself."_

'_Don't worry, Hikaru. You'll do fine. I'm just sorry I couldn't teach you how to handle the stones.'_

"_Pbft,"_ Hikaru said. _"It's not like we had any stones we could practice with." _He sighed. _"Do you really think I'll be able to do this?"_ he asked uncertainly.

'_I'm absolutely certain. Just because you haven't beaten me doesn't mean you aren't any good. Now go out there and "kick butt" as you say.'_

Hikaru did his best, and as Sai said, "kicked butt".

"Kid, where did you learn to play like that?" the man asked in amazement.

'It was me! I taught him!' Sai said excitedly bouncing up and down.

"A friend taught me," Hikaru responded with a smile on his face.

"If you're this good, how come you don't know how to handle the stones?"

"I told you, we didn't have any stones to play with."

The men were shaking their heads in disbelief. "Well," said the owner. "I guess we'll have to teach you then."


	3. The Go Boy

Of course, Hikaru no Go does not belong to me. Silly people.

On another note, I can't guarantee the time between chapters, and even though this is really soon after I posted chapter 2, it might be a while before 4 comes along.

Thanks for your confidence!

Enjoy!

Hikaru came back every day, and after helping the owner's wife with chores, the men sat down to teach him all they knew about go. Sai learned as well, how the game had changed in the last 150 years.

"Komi?" Hikaru asked one day. "What's komi?"

"You don't know what komi is?" the men asked gaping. "You play so well, I keep forgetting you know you know next to nothing about go. You're 100 years out of date."

Sai became agitated at this. _'Well forgive me for being trapped in a goban for 150 years. I can still beat you all to a pulp, and so can Hikaru!'_

"_Calm down, Sai. You know they meant no offense."_

'_I know,'_ Sai pouted. _'But you really are better than them.' _Hikaru brushed this off as Sai trying to mollify him.

"_But you've gotta admit we have learned a lot here."_ Sai smiled, and Hikaru returned his attention to the lecturing man.

"Since black has the advantage of going first, white gets 5 ½ extra points. It also prevents ties."

"_They didn't have this back in Shusaku's day?"_ Hikaru asked Sai.

'_No. All I know is that I've never lost while playing black'_

"_And you never thought that was unfair?"_

Hikaru became an attraction. Whenever he was there, people would flock to the salon to play the little boy who could beat the pants off of all the adults.

Sai knew it would be bad for Hikaru to get a big head, so he made sure to crush him every night. Then he would go through the game and point out all the mistakes Hikaru had made. He would tell Hikaru stories of all the famous go masters, and remind him that there were many out there that were much better than him. This worked to some extent, but a side effect was that Hikaru developed a very warped view of his skills.

So many people came because of Hikaru that the owner started paying him for the chores, instead of using it as the entrance fee. Finally, Sai could no longer hold back his instinct to teach, and through Hikaru, he gave pointers and lessons to the customers. Hikaru picked up on the teaching as quickly as he picked up the game.

"You know, kid," Kawai said one day. "If you're going to do teaching games, you might as well charge for them. I know you could use the money. Heck," he continued. "Anyone could use the extra money."

Hikaru looked at him in surprise. "Do you really think people would pay for me to teach them?"

"Sure!" said Kawai. "Not only are you a great player, you're a great teacher." Kawai saved Hikaru from the awkwardness of asking his students to pay by suggesting in a boisterous but convincing manner that they shouldn't be taking advantage of the kid. Most of the men were happy to support their little friend, and gladly paid for the teaching games.

Hikaru used some of the money to visit other salons in the city.

The first time they went, Hikaru said _"Sai, what do you say to playing today?"_

'_You mean with other people?' _

_"Well I'm no Shusaku, and this certainly isn't the Castle Games, but I thought you might like it. And since we're not at Heart of Stone, you can play without it being suspicious."_

_'You really mean it? Thank you, Hikaru. Thank you thank you thank you!' _

Smiling, Hikaru went inside. "Hi," Hikaru said to the person at the counter. "What's your children's rate?" The man told him, and grimacing, Hikaru fished the money out of his pocket.

"So," Hikaru said casually. "How do I challenge your strongest player?"

The man frowned. "Cocky, aren't you."

"Just confident," Hikaru replied. _"I mean, you could probably crush any of these guys."_

'_Most likely', _Sai said.

"What," Hikaru said, trying to goad the man. "Afraid you'll be beaten by a kid?"

"Hey, listen up guys," the man called. "This brat needs to be taught a lesson."

Sai and Hikaru took on all comers, and predictably beat them all. Once they were done, the docile Hikaru was back.

"Sorry about being rude before," he said. "I just thought the games would be more interesting if you were all fired up and taking me seriously." _'Because they better take us seriously.'_

He swung his bag on his back and bowed. "Thanks for the games." And he left.

"Wow," one of the men said. "That was some kid. How old do you think he is? 9, 10?"

"I don't know," said another. "But he sure as hell doesn't play like it."

'_Man, that was fun._' Sai nodded happily. '_Now let's go home and play a game together.' _

The day Hikaru bought his own set of go stones was a happy day indeed.

'_They aren't very expensive, but they're all ours.'_ Hikaru said to Sai, when they brought them home that night. _'Right then,'_ Hikaru said decisively. _'Let's play.' _

The next day, Hikaru took the board and stones to the park. They sat at a table and set up, then he and Sai recreated games and discussed them.

Just as Hikaru had hoped, an older gentleman approached and asked what a boy like him was doing with a goban. "Playing," Hikaru said cheerfully. "Care to join me?"

"I think I will. Do you play much?"

"As often as I can," Hikaru responded truthfully. He cleared the board and offered one of the go bowls to the man. "Nigiri." As the game began, the man quickly realized that he was out-classed, and after a valiant effort, he resigned.

"You play very well, young man."

"I've had the best teacher." Sai blushed.

"Hey, kid," Kawai shouted one day as Hikaru entered the salon. "D'ya know what they're calling you now?"

"Who?" Hikaru asked looking completely bemused.

"Everyone! They're calling you the Go-Boy."

"What!" Hikaru shouted.

"It fits you," the owner said. "You're always carrying that board and stones around, and you play teaching games in most of the salons, not to mention the park."

Hikaru blushed. "That's dumb."

"Everyone wants to know more about you, too," another man said.

"Look," Hikaru said, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going. "Do any of you want a game, or should I head to the park?"

"Calm down kid. If you don't want to talk, we won't force you," Kawai said. "Instead of a game, how about we try something else," Kawai said with a devious smile.

"What are you scheming, old man," Hikaru said warily, and Kawai grabbed him in a headlock.

"I told you not to call me that, squirt. Now here comes your punishment!" He shoved Hikaru towards a table with 3 gobans on it. "You're going to play 3 people at once."

"3!" Hikaru squeaked.

"Don't worry, boy. With the way you play, 3 will be a cinch. We'll try 4 next."

"4!" Hikaru exclaimed, but allowed himself to be guided to the seat on one side of the table. Despite his alarm, he was intrigued by the idea.

'_Hikaru, Hikaru'!_ Sai squealed, bouncing up and down. '_ Do it, it looks fun'! _

"_Whatever."_ And he sat down to play. Even the salon people were surprised at how well he did, and they eagerly set up 4. He had a bit more trouble with 4, but in the end, he came out on top.

As he was getting ready to leave, Kawai said "We've got more for you tomorrow!"

"Are you going to make me play 5 people?"

Kawai grinned. "Maybe another time. We've got something else planned."

"I may not come tomorrow," Hikaru muttered.

"Don't even think about skipping, squirt!"

As they walked home, Hikaru grinned in spite of himself. _"Those crazy old men. Making me play 4 people at once." _ '_But you did fine,'_ Sai said. "Yeah," Hikaru said aloud. "And it was fun."

Curious to see what the new torture would be, Hikaru went to The Heart of Stone. "The kid's here!" Kawai shouted the moment Hikaru walked through the doors. They dragged him to the table from the day before, but mercifully, there was only 1 board today.

"Now squirt," Kawai said. "We all know you play an incredible game, but hardly anyone takes you all the way to the end, so your counting is a little weak." Hikaru frowned.

'_He's right, you know,'_ Sai said. _ 'Hardly anyone here is good enough to take you to the endgame, and I'm a bit too hard for you to take me into the endgame on a regular basis.'_

"_Snob,"_ Hikaru said, but he recognized the truth in the words, so he settled into the chair. "So how will you solve this counting problem of mine," he asked.

"We want you to force a tie," Kawai said.

"A tie?"

"When you play without komi, there is a chance for a tie, and we want you to learn to force it. But you have to do it without any noticeable change in your playing. Think you can do it?"

"You crazy old coots," Hikaru said. "Bring it on."

Sai looked on with pride, as he watched his pupil and friend grow. Hikaru was clearly enjoying himself, and when he managed to tie 1 game, they started him on 2. By the end of the week he could tie 4 simultaneous games. They had him try blind go, which proved to be very useful for playing Sai when there was no board around. Hikaru had never been happier than the time he spent playing go with Sai and his friends from the salon.


	4. Meetings

My deepest apologies for not updating earlier. Not that it's any excuse, but I was kind of in a funk in my writing, not just this story, but all my stories, original and fanfiction, I was bogged down by homework, and now I have a time consuming job, and rehearsals for a play. So, yeah. Not an excuse, but an explanation.

There were a few perceptive reviewers who mentioned that even Hikaru wouldn't get that good that fast. This was entirely my fault. In the concept for my story, I had Hikaru and Sai meet a couple of years before they do in the manga, and so Hikaru actually does have more time than I apparently portrayed. My plans were to have him grow better for a couple of years, and then he meets Akira the same time as cannon. I apologize, dear readers, that this was not made clear, and thank those kind enough to point that out. It can be completely attributed to my lacking skills in writing, and I will endeavor to improve in the future. Thank you for your time, attention, and reviews. Also, sorry for the bad pun in the title for chapter 2. I had named the first chapter, and so felt kind of obligated to name the second, and that was all that would come to mind. Thank you for bearing with me. My dad's jokes must be rubbing off on me.

And now Akira joins us in this journey. Remember children, I do not own Hikaru no Go.

* * *

The rain was sudden and ferocious. Sai and Hikaru had been playing in the park, and were heading home when it hit. Hikaru clutched the bag to his chest, desperately trying to shield the goban from the rain. He and Sai found themselves outside of a go salon they had never really noticed before, and without thinking twice, they dashed inside.

They stood in the entrance, Hikaru gasping for breath, and caught a look at the salon. It was different from the others they had been to before. Everything seemed newer, and more sophisticated. This made Hikaru a little uncomfortable, as he wasn't used to high class places, but the 'no smoking' sigh near the entrance was encouraging.

"Hi," said a pleasant voice, and they turned to see a young woman behind the counter. She was frowning slightly at Hikaru's wet and disheveled appearance, but remained polite. "Our children's rate is 500 yen."

"Oh," Hikaru said running his fingers through his dripping hair. "Thanks." He glanced around the room and said, "Do you mind if I look around first? I promise not to get anything wet." He grinned roguishly.

She smiled slightly in return and said, "Of course." He bowed slightly and swung his pack back over his shoulder and headed in. As he and Sai walked farther into the salon, his mind calmed as he heard the sound of stones striking the boards. He admired the room, the boards, and the concentration of the players.

Near the back of the room, Hikaru spotted a boy playing an older gentleman.

"_Look Sai, it's a kid my age. Let's check this out."_ Excitedly, Hikaru wove his way between the tables. Careful to remain quiet, so as to not disturb the game, Hikaru looked down at the board. His eyes widened_. "Sai, this kid's playing a teaching game with the old man."_

'_So he is,'_ Sai agreed, pleased Hikaru had noticed so quickly. Silently, they watched the game, and as it went on, a grin spread across Hikaru's face.

"_He's good,"_ Hikaru said to Sai in awe. _"Real good."_

Sai turned to see Hikaru shaking with excitement. _Ah,_ Sai thought, _he is finally feeling the rush of the challenge of someone as good as you._

"_I want to play him."_ Hikaru was impatient for the game to end, but once it did, the boy went through and patiently pointed out all the mistakes and turning points. Hikaru was a little frustrated, but he knew how important after game discussions were.

When they were done, the man bowed and said, "Thank you, Akira-sensei. You always explain it so well."

"It was my pleasure," the boy said, returning the bow.

Akira was cleaning up the stones on the board when he looked up to see a boy his own age standing next to the table with a grin on his face.

"Can I help you?" he asked politely.

"Yeah," the boy said. "Play a game with me?" Akira was a bit taken aback. The boy certainly didn't look like a go player, with his mischievous smile, disheveled appearance and dripping water everywhere.

"All right," he said cautiously.

"Great!" said the boy. "Wait here a moment." Akira watched the boy dash to the front counter and excitedly hand over the entrance fee. He came jogging back with that odd bag on his back. The boy sat down with a smile on his lips and a glint in his eye.

"How many stones would you like to put down?" Akira asked politely. The boy waved his hand dismissively.

"I don't need a handicap," he said. "I mean, we're both kids." Akira frowned. The boy was either arrogant, or ignorant. Either way, Akira decided he would play a teaching game.

"Nigiri?" the boy asked. Akira reluctantly nodded, and they chose for color.

"I'm black then," the boy said. "Well, Onegaishimasu!" the boy said enthusiastically.

"Onegaishimasu," Akira repeated more quietly. Hikaru placed his first stone and the game began.

A short while into the game, Hikaru grimaced. _"He's playing a teaching game with me, Sai,"_ he complained. _"Phooey."_ Sai was disappointed as well. If the two boys would play at their full potential, it would be an amazing game. He watched, and saw that Hikaru was frustrated with this boy and had decided to return the favor. If the boy wouldn't play seriously, neither would he. Both boys had almost unnatural concentration, but Akira was almost bored, while Hikaru was concentrating on goading his opponent into taking him seriously.

Halfway through the game, Hikaru placed a stone that made Akira pause. The move was neither good nor bad. He looked back at the rest of the game and saw similar moves the boy had made. His eyes widened. This boy was toying with him. Well, he had been truthful when he said he needed no handicap. He took a breath and looked up. He saw the boy looking down at the board intently. Slowly the boy raised his head and caught Akira's gaze. A smirk played on his lips.

"Ready to play seriously now?"

Akira's eyes flashed. He was angry, but excited as well. This boy was the first child who had proved to be any kind of a challenge. He would give this boy what he asked for and play seriously from now on. Without saying a word, he dove back into the game.

Hikaru couldn't have been more delighted. He knew the boy was good, but it was hard to judge someone's true strength from a single teaching game. He had never played someone his own age before, and was excited to find out how he would fare.

Sai almost laughed out loud as he watched the game progress. Hikaru had forced Akira to play seriously, but even though Hikaru played more seriously himself, he continued to throw in moves to test the other boy.

At the very end of the game, Hikaru sprung his elaborate trap and scraped a win by half a moku. Akira stared numbly at the board. He hadn't even considered that trap might be there. This boy had had the gall to tell him to play seriously, then hadn't done so himself.

"That was an incredible game."

Akira looked up to see his opponent grinning.

"The best I've played in a long time."

'_But what about our games, Hikaru,'_ Sai said pouting. _'Aren't they any good?'_

"_Of course they're good. You're an amazing player, but I know I have no chance of winning."_

'_Hikaru, look.'_

He looked out the window to see the rain had stopped. "Oh man!" Hikaru exclaimed. "I've gotta go." He got up and swung his bag onto his back. "Thank you for the game," he said bowing to Akira whose eyes were still fixed on the board. Hikaru shrugged slightly, then turned and jogged to the exit.

The young woman at the counter smiled at him and asked, "Is your game over?"

"Yeah," Hikaru said grinning. "It was awesome." Charmed by the boy's smile and his praise of Akira she smiled in return. Before Hikaru reached the door he saw a stack of flyers on the receptionist's counter.

"What's this?" he asked, picking one up.

"That's a Children's Go Competition where strong young players come from all around to compete."

"Really?" Hikaru said with excitement. "There are more kids like us who play Go? By the way," he continued before the woman could answer. "What's the name of the boy I played?"

"Toya Akira," the woman said, a little perplexed that he didn't know Akira's name.

"Toya Akira, hmm." Hikaru said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "I've gotta remember that name," he said. "He's the best player I've come across for a long time by far. Can I keep this?" he said waving the flyer.

"Sure," she said. He folded it and stuck it in his pocket then turned to go. The woman looked down at the paper where the customers signed in and realized that in his eagerness to play the game, the boy had neglected to write down his name, let alone the rest of the information after he paid. "Wait!" she said. "What's your name?"

"Hikaru," he said grinning one more. And then he was gone.

"What?" someone shouted and she turned to see what the commotion was about. "Master Akira lost?" Her eyes opened wide.

"He must have had a handicap," one man said.

"No, it was even," said another. "They chose for color and everything."

"Master Akira must have gone easy on him."

But Akira knew that had not been the case. At the beginning when he had thought to play a teaching game, his opponent had responded in kind, and even when Akira had played seriously, the boy had toyed with him. He looked up in shock as he suddenly realized he didn't know the boy's name. "Ichikawa-san," he called out to the young woman at the front desk. "What was that boy's name? What did he write when he paid?"

"He didn't write anything," she said hopelessly. "But I did get his name. Or at least part of it," muttering the last part.

"What was it?" Akira said impatiently.

"Hikaru."

* * *

"_You were right, Sai,"_ Hikaru said as he jogged down the street.

'_I usually am, but what about this time?'_

Hikaru snorted at the smug ghost, but continued. _"There are a whole lot of players out there who are much better than I am. That kid back there," _he jerked a thumb back the way they had come. _"If he had played seriously from the beginning, I would have been __crushed__."_

'_But Hikaru,' _Sai said._ 'He may not have been playing seriously, but neither were you.'_

"_What do you mean?" _Hikaru said, wrinkling his nose slightly.

'_You weren't playing to win.'_

"_What?" _Hikaru said in surprise_. "Of course I was. Don't you always play to win?"_

'_No,' _Sai said._ 'You were only testing him, trying to see how strong he was, and in doing so you neglected to show your own strength.'_

Hikaru snorted again._ "I'm telling you, Sai, my skills can't compare to his. The only reason I wan was because he wasn't even trying for the first half of the game."_

Sai shook his head at the obliviousness of his young friend. The boy couldn't even tell his own strength. Perhaps his perception of his skill was warped because he played against Sai every night.

"_That reminds me," _Hikaru said digging in his pocket and pulling out the folded flyer._ "This kid's competition. I think we should go." _Completely distracted form his train of thought, Sai began to jump up and down. _'Yes yes yes yes! Let's go let's go!' _he said as he clung to Hikaru's neck.

"_Okay, okay" _Hikaru said._ "Calm down" _He unfolded the flyer and held it up. "Yeah," he said out loud. "This'll be a lot of fun."


End file.
